[2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

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[2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

December 18, 2018, 06:53:01 PM

Another sunny day in San Francisco. Which in and of itself was pretty common. California was known for it’s sun before the advent and usage of weather manipulation on a planetary scale. The wind off the bay today was cool and refreshing and birds were singing in Boothby’s trees. Cadets went here and there across the grounds. The dark charcoal gray uniforms topped with either crimson or mustard gold or teal shoulders and necks painting the merry picture.

Some cadets moved at a leisurely pace. Their next classes starting in a while, or perhaps they were on lunch or in a down hour. Others practically scampered or ran to their next class. Pads juggling and falling, to be retrieved and the dash continued. Over 150 member worlds and sponsored students from other planets and societies made for quite the different cadence and gait to those transversing the grounds.

One towering figure stood to the side of a path. Her uniform was very nicely tailored as if an expert had programmed the replicator, specifically for someone of her height and unique body type. Tall and curvy, but in all the best ways. The shoulders were a dark attractive teal, denoting the Science or Medical tracks. Her hair was pulled up into a high pony tail, that hung straight down her back, past the bra line.

The sun was playing across her pale features and seemed to accent the brow ridges and ear points as she read a pad in her hand. Finishing her reading the pad was slipped into one of the cargo pockets of the cadet uniform pants and she strode forth towards her next destination. As she was passing a Koi pond, a group of cadets were coming the other way. A few in Ops/Engineering or Security gold. A bit of whispering among themselves and at the last second as they were passing. One of the cadets ‘pushed’ the second cadet who SLAMMED hard into Vanya from the side.

Having not been expecting contact much less such a forceful hit, which, one had to give the cadets, was timed perfectly to catch Vanya mid stride, Vanya went flying off her feet. And over the edge of the path, down a few feet of drop and into the Koi pond with a splash! Koi darted away from the other worldly invader and the cadets stopped, pointing and laughing with great mirth.

Vanya sat up in the pond. It was only about a half meter deep but deep enough to have fully submerged her when she was thrown into it. Dripping and with some lillypads now draped over her uniform and head she looked up at the cadets and their rather dark laughter.

“I thought Romulans were so Noble.. so Refined! I didn’t know they were aquatic!!”

Vanya’s dark green eyes stared up at the group as they laughed and pointed then turned to meander off. Then down at her self sitting in the Koi pond. She had been submerged in water. One of the banes of her existence. One of the ways she differed from a Soong type android. Water.. could be a problem.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #1 – December 18, 2018, 09:05:43 PM

To say the first week had been hectic was an understatement. The academy believed that officers needed to handle all kinds of tasks, and knew that the real world would be taxing. Freshmen then, were put through a ringer. Natalie had been expecting this, but all the same, it had been a rude shock. The poor girl was not a morning person, but far more a night owl. Alas, PT was bright and early. Not before the sunrise (yet) but when the days grew longer, she would be greeting the rising sun as she finished her run through the streets of San Francsico.

The city was beautiful, and exhausted as the runs left her, she was grateful to the grizzled Senior Chief Petty Officer that lead her cohort in the morning decided to do so off campus. There were more hills, which were pretty much murder for the Martian, who was used to a slightly lighter gravity, but he chose a different path each day. And San Francisco was simply stunning. She was falling in love with the town, and the Bay.

What she was not in love with was the homework. She had a nasty feeling that this would only get worse. Thank God, she thought as she plowed across the campus toward the mess hall, that my roommate is someone I can stomach to be around. It was only a week in but Nat couldn't imagine what it would have been if she'd hated her roommate. At least we're the best dressed cadets in the Freshman year, she added with an almost cocky smile.

It appeared that Vanya was the only cadet that had the bright idea to re-replicate her uniforms in a more form fitting fashion. Nothing that violated the regulations of course. Natalie had very, very carefully checked that, and informed the Petty Officer that did a double take during inspection one morning. Most of the cadets of Natalie or Vanya's ...measurements looked as if they were wearing comfortable sailcloth. That earned Nat a few stares and dirty looks, but she didn't allow that to cause her to wilt as it might have otherwise done so. Nothing in the regs said you couldn't tailor your uniform to better fit you. Therefore, no punishment could be met out, and soon other students in their year had done the same.

And as far as Natalie could tell, one of her computer professors had found out. He'd assigned her a paper on replication programming as a result, which she realized was something more than a little ahead of the rest of the class. So, a moment of vanity had paid off nicely. She was riding that high - mostly done with the paper already - as she saw a group of fellow Operations cadets heading her way, laughing about something. It died off as she past, and she felt a few stares. It left her curious, and she looked back over her shoulder, seeing them starring back at her. One of them had their eyes narrowed as another was whispering in his ears. They shared a look and then turned their back on Nat, picking up their pace.

Maybe they think the uniform is flattering? Cdt. Stark thought to herself. She was, at the end of the day, very bad at reading people. I wonder what they were laughing about? She found out soon enough as she crested the little ridge and blinked, starring down at the Koi pond, and a bedraggled, lanky, and familiar form.

"Vanya?" She called down, eyes wide. "Is that you? Are you all right?"

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #2 – December 19, 2018, 04:04:50 AM

Vanya looked up from where she currently sat in the pond. Dark green eyes flashing dangerously until they focused on Natalie. Then her manner softened and she nodded. “I…. I think so?” A hand reached down to brace as she started to get up.

Natalie for her part would see Vanya, seem to jerk a bit, slipping and falling back into the water with a splash. More laughter from a few cadets standing around. The Romulan surfaced again. Even muddier than she had been before. The bottoms of ponds aren’t what you’d normally call clean. A second attempt to rise and she almost made it but her left knee seemed to give out and she splashed down again. Her long dark hair was matted with algae from the pond and sticking to her back. Some was smeared on her forehead and seemed to accent the brow ridge.

A look of concentration crossed her features and the third time she lurched to her feet. Shaking her head sent the long wet pony tail over a shoulder and slapping against her back. She came towards the edge of the pond. Looking a good deal more imposing now. Those pointed brows knit in fierce determination. Her shoulders squared. Her fists clenched.

Making the edge of the pond she stepped out. Dark boots that had been shined just that morning squshed with mud and water. More water still, poured off her in rivers as the 1.9M tall woman stepped out of the pond. Her tailored cadet’s uniform clung to her like a second skin.

With a sound of pure exasperation she reached up and unzipped the jacket and struggled out of it. Arms a bit jerky until she got it off one side and flailed to free her other hand. The garment slapping wetly till it fell away. She stood then in the wet cargo pants and dark teal uniform shirt, almost black with the water and glanced up to Natalie.

Vanya’s mouth opened and then she sort of lurched and fell forward onto her knees. Then over onto all fours. Head lowering. She grunted and shook her head as if to clear it.

Looking up those dark green eyes found Natalie’s face.. and a pained whisper escaped her. “Natalie… Help… please… get me out of here.”

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #3 – December 19, 2018, 04:54:41 AM

Yes, that was Vanya. Her roommate. First Romulan to ever attend Starfleet Academy. On a special disposition (though she didn't know who had approved her, and hadn't asked. It seemed rude). And she was there, at the bottom of the Koi pond, sopping wet, and covered in mud, trying to make her way out. On her first week at the school. With everyone starring, Natalie realized, with a quick glance around.

"How did you -?" She started to ask, then let out a little squeak, her face going pale. Something was very wrong. The first slip, well that could have been attributed to the mud on the bottom. Odds were that Nat, clumsy as she could be, would have done exactly the same thing. Even though the satuesque Romulan beauty had a certain unearthly grace about her, it could happen.

It was the second fall that worried Nat. That got her pulse racing and fear in her eyes, for her friend. She saw the way that Vanya's knee shuddered. It looked like her knee jerked and rolled in its socket. And while Natalie was not a Medical Student by any means, she was well aware that knees did not do that.

She'd clasped her hands over her mouth as Vanya crested the edge of the pond, coated in mud and dripping wet. She struggled out of her uniform jacket, and Nat could see others laughing. In that moment she went from worried to angry, and she glared over at them. They were midshipmen, at least a year ahead of Natalie. She didn't care. She leveled a look of scorn that lasted all of two seconds because her friend was falling again and was seriously hurt. The Ops cadet was on her own knees in an instant, without hesitaiton, while around them, more and more people stopped to stare.

No one seemed inclined to help.

"What...out of here?" She repeated, slipping an arm up, under Vanya's shoulders and lifted, letting out a startled grunt. "God, what do they feed you?" Nat asked, with a bit of a laugh and a bit of a grunt. Natalie wasn't the strongest person ever but there was no way she was just going to drop her friend. It was a struggle but she came up to her two feet, trying not to ignore the way the wet clothes clung and got Vanya turned around. The dorms weren't far off, and neither was the Academy infirmary. It was toward that she was headed.

"You're better off letting that thing lie where she is, pleab!" A voice shouted at Natalie, catching her off guard. She watched, astonished, as a Bolian male, came into view with two other cadets tagging along, blocking her way, his arms crossed over his chest and a look of contempt marring his blue skin. "It'll make your life easier. You don't want to be involved with trash like that."

But another of the cadets socked him on the arm, shaking her head. Natalie didn't recognize the species, there were ridges along the side of the girls cheeks and up her nose. She glanced at Natalie, her yellow eyes seeming to flare, then down at Vanya, before turning to her 'friend', worry on her face (or at least that's what Natalie took it to be).

"Don't. She looks hurt. Do you want to be here heckling when someone shows up to investigate the commotion? That's taking this too far." The trio of Cadets that had stopped to watch shared a look with each other, before the two in the back started moving away. The Bolian male stared a moment longer, muttering something about laying down with dogs, and then turning, hurrying off after his friends.

Flabbergasted at the rude behavior, Natalie's head turned and watched. "What the hell?" She swore, aghast at their actions. But the weight and warmth - the chill actually, of her friends skin - reminded Nat that she had more important things to do. "Just lean on me. I'll get you to the infirmary, Vanya."

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #4 – December 19, 2018, 05:24:20 AM

Vanya leaned on her roommate and accepted her assistance. She needed it right now. At 1.9M she wasn’t a light woman and poor Natalie would think that even for her height she was solidly built. Leaning on her as Natalie got them up and started them moving she groaned a bit. “Sorry about this….”

Then more cadets had shown up blocking their path. Vanya’s dark green eyes had come up and looked at them from under her brows. Her head half raised. The trio, nor Natalie had no way of knowing that her primary combat subroutines were coming fully online. Inside of the young woman non-primary systems were securing themselves. Others were rerouting to internal relays to prevent loss of function from external damage. Power was being rerouted and reallocated to the flight or flight centers of her anatomy. Arms, hands, legs.

Shoulder-checking Vanya herself into the pond had been one thing. Mock her? Fine, but these three were squaring up in front of Natalie, who was just trying to help. Who had been nothing but kind to her from day one. Who put up with Vanya’s weirdness. Her aversion to clothing behind closed doors. Her ignorance of some things that Natalie would simply take for granted. Natalie put up with it all, often with a smile.

These three looked to be about to hurt -her -. Vanya’s human friend and that was something the Romulan would not allow. In under a second the combat programming had worked out movements, even taking into account her twitchy body. A fake lurch to the side to clear of Natalie.. This would have the two fold benefit of stepping away from Nat to prevent damage and drawing the eye away from the smaller woman.

Then a pivot on her leading leg. A full spin to put the weight of her indoskeleton behind it and hammerfist to the Bolian’s temple. Followed up by a full forced palm strike to his sterum. Hitting the nerve cluster in the solarplexes and perhaps cracking his rib-cage straight up the middle. As he went back a second step would bring her closer to the second cadet. A rising elbow to his jaw to slam the head back and then a knife hand to the front of his throat crushing the wind pipe. The female would be taken out last. From the knife hand, Vanya would throw her weight to the side and connect with the girls jaw with a right hook. As the head snapped that way, Vanya would catch her by the corner of her mouth, two fingers inside and jerk her back the way she came, yanking her off her feet by the mouth and slamming her to the ground. If the girl attempted to rise a heel stomp would prevent her regaining her feet.

Glitching as she was the precise angle of attacks had to be widened a bit. Instead of 3.434% of placement drift she could expect a 10 or even 15% drift, but that should still be well with in tolerance of hand to hand combat with unarmed cadets.

Vanya’s programming had been ramping up, power reallocation achieved when, the female questioned the males and talked them down. A second or two later and they’d peeled off.

Inside Vanya issued a sigh of relief. Harming others of their academy class had not been what she was aiming for, nor wanted to do, but she’d be damned if she’d let them hurt her roommate. She was glad to ease the combat programming down, de-prioritize those routines and movements. Once they moved off, poor Natalie felt more of Vanya’s weight sag onto her.

“Not the infirmary, please! The Dorm. I’ll… be ok. Just need a little help. -Your– Help. You can help me better than they...” The other arm. The one not across Natalie’s shoulders, twitched and jerked. “You can help me better than -they– can.”

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #5 – December 19, 2018, 06:09:11 AM

As with many things she was about to learn, Natalie was blissfully ignorant of the calculations - so very numerous - that were going on inside of Vanya's head. Trillions of processes running, mimicking an organic brain, protocols created by Romulan scientists in some lab decades ago. Even more calculating than the stereotypes of her species was the programming that Vanya had been gifted with. Every bit of processing the girl did, her companion was unaware of. To Natalie, the only tension was from the cadet's that had blocked their way, inexcusably.

The only sign that something might have been going on in the girls head was the way that, after the three cadet's moved off, her roommate had sagged against her all the more. It was a burden, to be sure, but one that Natalie would willingly bear. Her friend was hurt and it never once crossed her mind to do anything other than help. That's what Starfleet does. That's what good people do, she would tell her self.

Natalie and her companion had made it maybe three paces before Vanya began to plead for a course correction. The Ops cadet halted and twisted her head to look at Vanya, her blue eyes meeting the Romulan's green orbs witth a look of incredulity.

"I can help you more?" she asked, clearly confused and startled. "Vanya, a knee doesn't jerk about like your's did. Thats a bad, bad sign. You need a doctor!" She protested, but the girl was insistent. The arm jerked about in a way that it simply should not do. And that scared Natalie. Something was seriously, completely wrong.

"Look, if this is some kind of cultural honor thing, I'm not having anything to do with it I won't allow my only friend here to get hurt for pride," Natalie told her friend, as she started moving again. But she was moving toward the dorms, trusting her. "You are seriously worrying me Vanya, so you better be right about me being able to help you. I'm a glorified tinkerer, not a doctor. I don't have the first clue about setting a bone." There was an edge of worry that she could not hide, and a thing vein of not quite panic bubbling up under the surface as they limped off as fast as the duo could manage.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #6 – December 19, 2018, 09:31:30 AM

Leaning on the smaller woman Vanya tried to effect as casual a walk as she could. It wasn’t easy. She wasn’t fully in control of the spasms. A hand came up to wipe some of the goo from her face. Glancing to Natalie she nodded in response to her question.

”Yes, you can help me more.”

Vanya looked at her knee then to the young human woman. Ehhhh… I’ve had worse” Meant to be reassuring it might make one wonder just what the hell she had endured that was worse. It didn’t look like it felt nice at all.

Then her roommate was asking about cultural honor things. Which threw Vanya for a moment. Some Romulans actually do have honor. It may be hard for those in the Federation to understand but serving the Star Empire wasn’t only to acquire power for one’s self and status. Many served because they believed in the Romulan Empire and wished to see it florish. Wished to see their families safe.

All that said Vanya did not have a traditional upbringing what so ever, so when asked if it was some cultural honor thing she could answer honestly. I can assure you Natalie, it is nothing what so ever a cultural honor thing. It… will make more sense when we get back to the room.”

A few more steps and she glanced around and back to Natalie. “I’m quite sure… I don’t need a doctor, Natalie.. I need the girl that took apart the replicator and made it work better, when she was 12.”

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #7 – December 19, 2018, 05:39:42 PM

"You've had worse?" Natalie asked in clear shock. The worse she'd ever had ....well, she tired hard not to think about that day. The words 'Explosive Decompression' flashed across her memory. The sound of whistling wind, of blinding sharp pain and bitter, unimagineable cold. Nothingness....

She missed a step, nearly tripping, and forced the memories away. Not now not now not now she mentally chanted as she straightened up a bit more, bearing the Romulan's weight. Bear it, and listen to the sound of her roommates voice. She seemed so calm, when Natalie would be having a full out panic attack if her knee did that, or her arm flopped and jerked about, out of her control. Since the accident, Nat had tried to control so many things in her life. She knew it wasn't healthy, and after consoling, she worked hard to adjust but that would set her right back over the edge.

So what exactly does being able to fix a replicator have to do with fixing a broken knee? Natalie asked herself as the duo ate up the distance, step by step, to the dorms. She could see the entrance to her building - see a few stares from passing Cadets - and dug in deep. That first week of morning PT had paid off, because Natalie wasn't sure she'd have been able to do this before coming to the academy. There were physical standards but this was a bit beyond that.

"Just through these doors. We can take the lift up to the fourth floor," she instructed, keeping her voice calm. She didn't like talking to people. Hadn't for years. But Vanya was sweet. Vanya was almost innocent. And something was very, very wrong with the Romulan. "Just through here," she repeated as they moved down the hall. Maybe, just maybe, Vanya had a prosthetic limb. That would make sense, she decided as she helped her roommate along. The lift was just up ahead. She hoped no one would be in it.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #8 – December 19, 2018, 08:51:18 PM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | First Floor ] Attn: @Brutus @Anyone in Freshman Cross Specie dorm, at that time, in that year

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Vanya nodded to Natalie. “Oh, sure sure…. Romulan… home schooling can be quite… lets call it intense?”A bit of a wry chuckle escaped the Romulan. That was one way of putting it. The missed step caused her to stumble as her left leg locked up for a few seconds. Vanya reached down with her free hand and WACKED it! One, two wacks and it loosened up and she was walking again. More or less.

Vanya was noticing the distress on Natalie’s face. She felt bad for being the cause of it. This was probably embarrassing for the young woman. Others might think the Romulan drunk or something if they hadn’t witnessed the event. Not much that Vanya could do about it just this second, but she didn’t wish social anxiety on the little Martian. Which brought up a random line of code, reminding Vanya to ask why Natalie wasn’t green.

They made it to the dorm and went through the front entrance. WANG! Vanya banged off the edge of the doorway and paused a bit with one eye shut and glanced to Natalie with the other.“……. My bad?”

That had sounded like a pretty solid impact but Vanya shook it off and stumbled along to the lift. It slid open and a rather startled looking Grazerite looked at them. The herbivore slipped off the lift and Natalie man handled Vanya in. When the doors shut and they started to ascend, Vanya looked to Natalie and in as best a simple conversational tone as she could muster, offered the other girl a grin. “Is it me, or do Grazerites always look startled and about to bolt?”

The lift opened on the 4th and they were out. Thankfully the 4th room wasn’t too far down the hall. Their com badge signal triggered the door when they were close enough and they entered. Vanya motioned.

“Just… you know. The floor is fine” Then.. proceeded to have a pretty strong body shudder, half turned and collapsed onto her back on the floor. Wham! A long second staring up at the ceiling. “Well done!”

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #9 – December 19, 2018, 10:35:19 PM

There was a horrifying cracking vibration, almost metallic in nature, as Vanya veered off into a door frame. "OHMYGOD!" Natalie blurted out, worried that she'd misstepped again and smashed her friends face in. The color drained rihgto ut of her face and Nat looked as pale as the ghostly white sheets the Academy provided them for their beds. And yet...Vanya seemed unphased?? Nothing about this was making any sense to Natalie. Romulans and Vulcans were made of stern stuff but this was ridiculous.

Nat barely paid attention to the Grazerite that stared, wide eyed, lower jowl flapping a bit as Nat pressed Vanya up against the wall of the turbolift. She was starring at her friend, fingers itching to reach up and touch the girls face, trying to see any signs of bruising because she had just smashed her skull into a door frame. Her fingers twitched out, to caress along Vanya's jaw and cheek, as the Romulan spoke. Natalie could feel the heat of the girl against her trembling finger tips. Her skin was warm, and didn't seem torn. Unfortunately the lighting wasn't great and Nat, bless her, couldn't tell if there was already bruising.

And despite it all, Vanya's little quip managed to tear a single burst of laughter out of Natalie, a rough, "Ha! haha," before she swallowed it, the doors opening and Natalie having to shift Vanya's weight back to her shoulder, forcing her to stop the gentle touch and get back to work. She almost sounded manic with that little laugh, as she trudged down the path to their dorm. One foot, in front of the other Nat, she was telling herself. This is sooooo crazy. Yup, you've gone around the bend but thats okay. One foot in front of the other!

There was their door. It slid open without protest. Even better, Natalie managed to drag Vanya into the room without bashing the girl. But then she was simply sliding off and falling to the floor and really there wasn't much Natalie could do to arrest her descent. Vanya had simply twisted out of her grasp once she felt she was in a good enough place.

"Good job!?" The incredulity was clear in Natalie's voice as the cadet fell back onto her own ass, next to Vanya in the space between their beds. While the roommate was laying down, Nat was propped up on her elbows, knees akimbo, mostly sitting. "Vanya...your knee. Your arm...yoru face! You smashed your face against a wall and just...poof" she made an explosion gesture with her hands, her face puffing up, "nothing. What...whats going on?"

As she asked the question she was forcing her self to shift on the floor, twisting about until she was on her hands and knees, looming over her friend. Her face was a few inches away from Vanya's, her hair having come loose, tumbling over her shoulders. She was so close that there would be no mistaking the concern, the worry in her expression. She looked like she was going to rain tears down at any second because there was no way her friend was 'okay' and they really really should have gone to sickbay but no, she'd listened to the Romulan and was now convinced she was making things worse.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #10 – December 20, 2018, 04:27:18 AM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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“Fairly certain appeals to your diety will not benefit us in this endeavor, Natalie.” The Romulan spoke softly. Then the laugh came forward from her roommate and Vanya noted the tone edging up towards mania. It was good they were almost to the room. This could spiral if Vanya wasn’t careful.

When Natalie reached up to check her face, she’d move some of the algae that had slimed onto the Romulan from the pond and see.. wait… that green right there wasn’t wiping off. Indeed Natalie would see the vertical line of bruise from the jaw, across one cheek, up over the eye to one eye ridge forming.

They made the dorm room and Vanya was… deposited upon the floor looking at the ceiling. A bit of a wry grin crossed her face at Nat’s exclamation of ‘Good job’??. Her dark green eyes went to her roomate as she dripped soddenly on the floor. “Well.. technically I think you smashed my face against the wall. And for the record.. that hurt…. Lets not do that again if possible.”

When Natalie got up to look down at her, Vanya looked up at her roommate. A long moment passed and Vanya smiled.“You have beautiful eyes, Natalie…” Vanya’s hand came up, fingertips gently brushing Natalie’s cheek before lowering. All she needed was to spaz out and put out an eye or something. NOONE would room with her then.

A fortifying breath was taken. “Your … question is a .. tricksome one to answer. You were issued your tricorder with your first classes? If not you can use mine. I.. would ask that, before you scan me… a simple vow not to… what’s the Martian term you told me… “Freak the hell out”?
I’ll explain everything but the scan will reveal a starting place for your… what I’m anticipating…. Many queries.”

She spasmed again, a full body shudder that made the woman on the floor grit her teeth and squeeze her eyes shut. “Once we’ve finished with your questions. I’m hoping you can give a girl a hand.’

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #11 – December 20, 2018, 05:40:01 AM

It stung a bit to have it pointed out that she was the reason that Vanya's face met with the door frame. She had thought that Vanya had spasmed on her while trying to get to the turbolift. Knowing that she was at fault did a pretty good job of shutting her up. She bit her lip at that and gave a little nod as her eyes darted about the mud-stained girl, taking in the injuries. A closer look revealed the green of bruises under the skin. It was a darker color than when the Romulan woman blushed. Nat was still getting used to these differences between them, and a green discoloration threw her off just a bit.

What really threw her off was Vanya's next words. Just as Natalie had explored the woman with her finger tips in the trubolift (albeit checking for injuries) Vanya now took the opportunity to do so in return. Anything that Nat might have said died in her throat as she felt heat rise up in her cheeks. She was sure she was blushing in that moment, but the angle of her head, and the way her hair had fallen just might, maybe, keep that from being noticeable.

"I...Thank you," she whispered, as Vanya lowered her hand. As a general rule, Natalie did not handle flattery well, regardless of whom it was from. She'd never flirted with another woman and so, she couldn't be sure that she was being flirted with now. Of course you bashed her head into the doorframe so she might be delierious. Maybe focus on helping your friend, Nat? It seemed that Vanya was of a similar oppinion, and the Martian gave a small nod.

"I haven't freaked the hell out yet, right?" She asked, knowing she'd come close to it at one point in sheer worry. Natalie didn't make friends easy. That she seemed to have done so with a member of an enemy empire, who, apparently had a lot more going on than she'd been told, really didn't surprise Nat as much as it should. But a friend was a friend and this one was in need. "Right. Tricorder. I can work a tricorder," she said in an attempt to reassure, before rolling away from her position and crawling to her feet. Her tricroder was charging on her desk and it was easy as pie to swipe it, and stagger back over to Vanya.

She caught the girls eyes as she twitched, and looked down at her in sympathy. "Just a second here," she pulled it up and began to run a scan. She'd expected life-signs in distress. What she got... was not that. For a moment, Natalie just stared at the screen, her eyes wide, the weak smile she'd thrown up for her friends sake fading. Then her fingers began to type out a swift beat against the controls. The tricorders hum intensified, and there was a series of trilling beeps.

For but a brief moment, her mouth hung open. And then she closed it, watching as Vanya spased again.

"Yeah...I have....like, a metric crap ton of questions," she said after a long moment. Her friend had neglected to mention a key detail when she was making introductions a week ago. And Natalie really didn't know how, exactly, she was supposed to feel about this. There was a lot to measure, the truth of the 'Romulan's' nature, versus her behavior. Not being told versus...a right to privacy, she supposed.

In the end, it didn't matter. Vanya was hurting. "You said you hurt, that you could feel what was going on. My gut says you were telling the truth so...I guess the first question - the only question that matters - is...Can you help me understand enough of these readings compared to...a baseline? Like...is there a how-too manual? For me to..." she couldn't believe she was about to say this, "Start repairing your systems? Cause this...you are very, very advanced."

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #12 – December 20, 2018, 09:40:57 AM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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Vanya waited and watched as Natalie retrieved the tricorder and the Romulan took in a breath watching her roommate’s face as the initial scan was concluded. Vanya looked up at Natalie and twitched again. Dark green eyes watching the young human woman with what could only be called apprehension, and perhaps a touch of fear.

The anxiety grew when Natalie’s jaw dropped and the look of shock crossed her face. The Romulan android closed her mouth and bit her bottom lip, looking up with worry. Would Natalie flee in terror. Would she treat Vanya different? Spurn her as being fake? Artificial? Less than alive?

The young Maritan’s face only lasted for a moment before changing and her admittance that she had a metric crap ton of questions… a measurement that Vanya was not familiar with, but by context, she suspected was a very large amount. Vanya watched the war of emotions across her friend’s face.

Her.. only friend.

Unsure if the title was still one that Natalie wished to possess. Vanya found that she feared losing the friendship of this sweet human girl. After all. When you had only the one friend. Losing her would be devastating.

Nat mentioned her hurt and Vanya reached up with a hand to brush the bruise forming on her face. A nod. “Yes… it hurt. I have the same tactile sensation as you, actually it’s likely more enhanced. If you remember my admission about not liking scratchy clothing? My flesh is extremely sensitive.” Her voice soft. “It had to be… I feel hurt as acutely as you do. Perhaps more so.”

Then she fell silent as Natalie asked if she could help walk her through her own workings. As she answered Natalie would witness that soft green blush returning on her cheeks, and neck, and disappearing under the wet collar of her teal undershirt. That dark teal seeming to almost highlight the blush on the Romulan’s pale flesh.

“Yes of course. I have… details that you can use to.. render aid. In this situation it has to do with some of the inner workings reacting negatively with the influx of micro-particles into my matrices. I am fairly tough by design but submersion in water had not quite been mastered…. When.. I left the program. It causes...”Her arm lifted and twitched before falling back to the floor. “System irregularities until dry and the micro-particles are removed.”

Her voice had gone quiet. Clearly she was highly embarrassed. Which would be significant. Natalie had spent a week with her roommate now and knew all too well the girl tended to shuck uniform with in seconds of returning to the room for the night. Yet this… this admission. Seemed. Intimate. Something that brought her shame. Something that made her most abashed.

As she finished talking those dark green eyes looked up to Natalie with clear and present fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of revulsion. She had put her trust totally in Natalie’s clever hands.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #13 – December 20, 2018, 11:01:32 PM

Coming to terms that her roommate was not exactly the Romulan she had thought her to be - or the lifeform - at least not in the classic sense - Natalie clutched the tricorder to her chest as she watched, and listened. She raised on hand from her chest to cover her mouth as Vanya explained, slowly, and clearly in pain, about just how sensative she was. "God, I'm so sorry," Natalie said quietly, her hand moving to her own cheek, where Vanya had been hit. "I guess that explains the nudist tendencies. Less clothes means less irritation..." She bit her lip. She needed to get Vanya inside a sonic shower to get all that mud off then. This had to be torture for the poor girl....Girl? She's a Robot! but...I mean... still...

Pushing that thought aside as the android - that was probably the word - continued to speak, Nat felt her brows draw in tighter. She checked her tricorder as Vanya steeled herself, Nat's blue eyes glancing from it, to the girl, and then back again. She didn't see any new signs of a malfunction. At least, not as she could tell. There were obvious issues, and the more Vanya spoke, the more the reading's made sense. But none of that explained the deepening green tinge in Vanya's skin. Unless she's embarrassed. Romulans blush green, Natalie, remember? And she's ...designed? Created? To be Romulan in every way.

So that mean's she embarrassed to tell you about this. She's afraid. Humiliated? Just like you'd feel if you'd made an utter fool out of yourself in front of her. Natalie was reading a bit into things, since there could be plenty of other reasons, but she was projecting her own insecurities onto Vanya's reactions.

With the way her skin contrasted against the undershirt - and wow is it clinging to her right now - Vanya had to be very, very embarrassed.

Taking a deep, slow breath, Natalie set her tricoder down and raked her hands through her hair. She snagged a band from the top of her work station, and did her hair up in a very messy bun. Just enough to keep it out of her face. Her eyes darted back to Vanya, met her gaze and bit her lip. Then she smiled and reached for the tricorder.

"I hate seeing you like this, twitching and in pain and out of your own control. So tell me what to do so I can make it all better, okay, Vanya?" She asked, crouching down by her friend and moving some of her fingers to flick a few stray - muddy - strands of hair from her face. "I'll take care of you."

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #14 – December 21, 2018, 12:14:39 AM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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Looking up, Vanya watched the look of horror cross her roommate’s face and nodded a single time with a jerk of the head. “In part. Yes. Truthfully though, it’s mostly the inverse…. I like to feel things, against my skin. Good touches.. soft.. textures…” A pause and she reached up to scrape some of the algae off her face and rubbed her fingertips togeher. “This.. is distressing….”

The android watched as Nat checked her readings a few times. Her brows knitting together in that adorable little worry-line between them. Humans brows were less sharp. It lead to their faces looking less hostile. To Vanya, it made Nat look so cute when she concentrated and thought hard. As she was doing now studying the tricorder. The girl laying on the floor watched the emotions and concentration crossing the human’s face.

In fact Natalie was reading her reaction right. The Romulan was very much embarrassed by this. By the admission, by showing weakness to another. One who’s opinion Vanya actually cared about. It’d only been a week but they had become friends and Vanya wished for Natalie to think well of her. Not be horrified. When Natalie noticed the contrast with the blushing face and neck with the sodden teal undershirt clinging to Vanya, she’d notice something else. Vanya seemed very able to discern changes in temperature as well. Being cold and wet had affected her flesh. Skin had tightened and nipples were perked from the wet chill. Something that a wet teal undershirt did nothing to hide and almost seemed to accent.

When Natalie put up her hair and got down beside her, pledging to take care of her, Vanya let out a sigh. Her hand sought out Natalie’s and long slender fingers wrapped around the Martian’s hand. Squeezing ever so gently. A whisper of words escaped her.

“Thank you….. Thank you Natalie.”

Dark green eyes looked up to the other young woman and she nodded. “In my gear there’s a micro-porter. You can use it in conjunction with the tricorder to target the contaminants and the micro-porter will ‘beam’ them out, more or less.” Natalie was a mechanical wiz. She likely used one of those once a week when dealing with the 24th century computer systems. The procedure wouldn’t be difficult. But it wasn’t something one could easily do on one’s self, especially as twitchy as Vanya was.

She laid very still and watched as Natalie came to her rescue. Vowing, that if the young woman didn’t abandon her after this, Vanya would one day, some how find a way to repay the kidness. A vow that the Romulan would see through. No matter what.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #15 – December 21, 2018, 03:16:59 AM

Natalie had noticed just how sensitive Vanya seemed to be to the temperature. She'd done her best to put it out of her mind. She liked men, she reminded herself. She shouldn't stare either. And most importantly, her friend needed help, so focusing on that, and not on any physical reactions would probably put the Romulan-android-woman at ease. Android she thought again, more than a little bewildered. That....is going to take a hell of a lot of getting used to. An android that thrives on physical sensation at that. Oh, it explains so, so much.

Clearly, she could feel. Or as close to feeling as a machine could get? No, its clear they - she - feels. Just as I do. And right now its gratitude. Nat concluded, as Vanya gently took her hand. She wondered how much of an effort that was, with the way she was - for lack of a better word - glitching. She appreciated it, and squeezed back, letting her hand linger for a second, now that she knew the Romulan (android?) craved physical sensation. And it was easy enough to hold a friends hand while she explained just what to do to fix her.

"A Micro-porter? Useful tool," Natalie said as she let go of the girls hand and stood in a swift motion, rolling back onto her heels and spinning a bit. She marched right over to the foot of Vanya's bed, and popped open the footlocker. She rummaged around for just a moment, trying not to pry too much, but she saw plenty of her roommates possessions - not that there were many. But she came up with the micro-porter and gave a nod, her bun bobbing on the back of her head as she moved back to where she had left Vanya and her tricorder laying - on the floor.

"Okay. I'll have you cleared out in a jiffy," declared the martian, as she brought the tricorder back up. She set it for a fine particle scan, and let it run over the girl. She watched, and whistled low. "Someone put a lot of time and effort into you, Vanya. They must be very proud of you," she said quietly. The tricorder was able to suss out what didn't belong fairly easily, now that Nat knew what to be looking for. Tucking her legs up under her, she knelt at Vanya's feet, and then paused.

"I wouldn't ask this of my tricorder or work station but um...well, you're a...well, you're not something like that. You're you," she said softly. "This won't hurt you, right?" She waited until she had her answer from Vanya, shot her a smile, and then began her work, starting with the joints of Vanya's toes, and working her way up along her legs, ever so slowly. She would pause, consult the tricorder, and then adjust, before using the hand held device to beam away the impurities that had permeated Vanya's internal systems. "Sorry if I'm slow...I want to make sure I don't miss anything."

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #16 – December 21, 2018, 04:34:17 AM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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Vanya nodded to Nat’s observation of a rather useful tool to keep one’s mechanical insides in top shape. As Natalie retrieved it, Vanya watched, Twitching now and then. Now that she wasn’t mobile it wasn’t ‘as bad’. The footlocker didn’t hold any dramatic secrets but what it did hold may make a bit more sense now.

There were some micro tools in there and other high tech mechanical gizmos. Looking over them the Martian could easily discern how half of them would be useful in the upkeep of her roommate. The grouping of items were less arcane, for a Science Track cadet now that Natalie knew the truth. A few personal grooming items and a dermal regenerator. That could help with the bruise. Knowing what she did now, she could imagine it would also be useful in ‘repairing’ her flesh.

Lastly two items in the bottom might catch Natalie’s dark eye. Two spheres. Highly detailed topographical carvings of planets. Each showing the mountains, plains, valleys and oceans on the planets’ respective surfaces. They were carved out of some heavy stone, one seemed to be obsidian or something close to it, the other a dark granite like gray.

Then Natalie was back and proclaiming she’d be done in a jiffy. Vanya filed that one away to inquire about at a later date along with the Metric crap ton. These Martian Units of Measurement were throwing her a little. When the observation was made about a lot of time and effort going into her, Vanya nodded.

“Yes.. my mother, spent most of her life developing.. me. It was the continuation of her mother’s work. A lot went into such a flawed.. and failed project”

The concern that her roommate was showing was touching. “No. This part doesn’t hurt. It actually is a relief as my systems reorient and start to function normally. Think of it… as removing a splinter from under your flesh. Once it’s out, it feels so much better.”

Vanya watched as the other started the work, her dark green eyes watching Natalie’s face.“I understand.” A long moment paused and Vanya’s voice returned quieter.

“Natalie…. Do you hate me now?”

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #17 – December 21, 2018, 02:33:31 PM

Questions, Questions. There would be so, so many questions later. Some she would ask because if she was going to keep living with this girl - android...girl, she was going to need to know. Especially if Vanya was 'allergic' to water. What other 'allergies' might she have? This reminded Natalie that she should probably combine a list of allergies of her own so if something happened Vanya might have an idea of what to do. That went onto the mental checklist.

Some of her questions though, would go unasked, because they were none of her business. As much as she wanted to inquire about those orbs in the foot locker, that stood out so starkly (ha!) compared to all the tools. That had to be something personal and private and Vanya had already been forced by circumstance to reveal something to Natalie that even a socially stunted introvert like herself could tell the Romulan Android girl had not wanted to share.

Oh just keep thinking of her as a girl, Nat. Romulan Android Girl is a mouthful even in your head.

For a moment Nat wondered just how Vanya knew what it felt like to have splinter and then she remembered that the girl was super sensitive to tactile sensation. A contact junkie, was one way to think of it. She'd likely had a splinter before. Unlike say, a ships computer, Vanya could very easily be speaking from experience, not parroting a metaphor found in a databank. Fascinating. She was concentrating on her work, which was why she didn't comment much - yet - just nodding along. Though she had thoughts, and opinions. Like how anyone could view the girl before her as a failure. Oh she didn't like that. Didn't like being kept in the dark, but didn't like the implied undertones there.

As such, she almost missed the question that Vanya asked. It took a second to register and when it did, the Martian felt her blue eyes grow a bit wide.

"Why would I hate you?" She asked, confused. She paused in her work, thumbing the micro-porter off less she accidentally attempt to beam out something important. "I might not be happy to find out...this" she waved her hand over Vanya, "in quite this fashion but I'm sure its not how you would have liked to say anything either. It might sting that you didn't trust me enough to tell me yourself, but we've only bee rooming for a week. And don't get me started on my issues with your apparent appalling sense of self worth. Failure my ass," she pursed her lips, then eased back, resting said ass on her heels as she brought the micro-porter back into play, targeting the next cluster of impurities.

"Strike that silly thought from your brain right now," she pointedly said brain and not processors.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #18 – December 21, 2018, 07:31:14 PM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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Vanya looked up upon Natalie as she assisted in purging her workings of the forign particles, she was already starting to ‘’feel better” as her systems returned to normal operating parameters. The young woman seemed to be concentrating and deep in thought. Vanya didn’t wish to disturb her as she mulled over the query. Once she answered Vanya’s eyes widened a bit.

“Why?” Vanya laid there a long moment and her dark green eyes sought out Stark’s blues. “I…. am not sure. I… must confess Natalie… The concept is a bit strange to me. Why does anyone hate anyone?” A gentle shake of her head then a shoulder twitch and she sighed going on. “I’ve read extensively on Romulan and Federation interactions. Many authors describe it as a hatred between our people, but it’s something I don’t possess. I’m not naive. I understand hatred exists.” She motioned to her self and her sodden glitchy state, proof positive that even in the ‘enlightened’ society of the Federation it still very much existed. “I… have just never understood… why.”

Then Nat went on a bit and Vanya’s eyes widened as she listened. Her mind a whirl of thoughts. Flickering faster and faster. The human seemed.. mildly offended by the thought.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… but it’s a bit of a complicated thing and I didn’t quite know how to squeeze it into introductions. You’re my first roommate ever and I’m rather new to this and trying to follow your lead. You didn’t tell me of your own inner biological functions so I sort of kept my own, to myself.”

A slight look of worry. “I knew you’d figure it out. You’re so clever and smart. And the way you talk about machines and how they work and how fascinating they are. Your hands get involved. Little motions and twitches, as if you could feel them even when they're not there. That your mind envisioned them so strongly. You clearly have a great deal of passion for your chosen field.
The way you talk about them, it was almost like.. you were talking about me...”

She looked up to Natalie as she resumed her operations.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #19 – December 22, 2018, 04:33:10 AM

Natalie tried to remain clinical as she ran the micro-porter over parts that most organic life forms considered quite private. She assumed that in this specific case, Vanya might be feeling the same. The girl clearly had no issue walking around in a fashion to to show off said areas, but it was quite another thing entirely to have someone else probing the depths of said areas - even with a micro-porter being used to remove impure particles. Not, of course, that Natalie would know Anything about that, in any fashion.

So she wasn't able to remain as detached as she liked, and was probably blushing as she moved the device over Vanya's pelvis and worked upward to about where her belly button would be under the wet, teal shirt.

"Inter-species relations are never easy," Natalie finally said after listening to Vanya speak for a moment, "I assume that why they have a three level course on the subject." She let out a small chuckle as she stared down at her hands. Gently, she took one of Vanya's in her own, and then began to run the micro-porter over her fingers.

"You're right, about how I view machines," she said softly as she worked through each finger. There seemed to be quite a few impurities here, so she took her time, with gentle touches as she worked the fingers between her own. "You can take a machine apart and understand how it works far, far better than you can people. I get along with machines. People not so much. Until you, I mean," she said quietly.

She swapped hands, and for a long moment didn't say anything. But finally she spoke up again. "Thing is....I knew you as a person before realizing there was a machine ticking underneath. Thats...you fascinated me long before I found out about what makes you tick on the inside. Thats just as fascinating, don't get me wrong but...." she placed the micro-porter aside and picked up the tricorder. It showed a schematic of Vanya. There wasn't all that much left to work at this point. "This....may be you." She tapped the screen, then moved her hand over where she was pretty sure a Romulan heart was supposed to be (which, at the edge of the torso was very weird to her).

"But its not you. If that makes sense?" She picked up the micro-porter again, and moved the device over her chest, continuing to zap particulate matter away. "I'm not very good at this. I'm trying to say that as much as I want to understand everything about you....I kinda already wanted to do that before today."

There was another long pause, the room filled only with the noise of the micro-porter and the thudding of Natalie's heart, because she did not talk this long or this openly or this deeply. At all. Ever.

"Also as far as my inner workings go, I'm as allergic to Sulfa, a medicine, and shell fish, as you seem to be to water. Possibly more so."

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #20 – December 22, 2018, 06:15:52 AM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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Vanya watched as Natalie worked and when she got up to about the belly button the Romulan motioned with a flick of the fingers. ”You’ll note my primary gyroscope a touch further up. It’s what keeps me more or less vertical. That’s the most crucial component to have particle free. I can function with it contaminated but will be kissing more doors.”

A nod of agreement at the inter-species studies and looked around the room. “I had hoped that rooming in a dorm like ours, I would luck out and get a roommate like you.” Then Natalie was seeing to her hands. The young Martian would find them to be beautiful. Long slender fingers with carefully trimmed and kept nails. Best to not get in the way during scientific pursuit, or to inhibit tactile sensation. As Nat scanned and cleaned each she would feel just how gentle they were of touch. Still, the scans would show her what lay beneath. The strength of each digit. Collectively they could crush steel and other common materials if Vanya tried, but they felt soft and gentle as Natalie saw to them.

Vanya listened as Natalie described her relationship with machines. A smile gosting her lips. “Until me...”

Natalie then went on to describe Vanya in a new way and the sodden android nodded her understanding. “Yes.. it makes sense. It’s… part of why I’m here. To discover that exact thing. To… make sure it’s not just a figment of my imagination. To.. see if I am more than the sum of my collective parts.”

Vanya paused for a long moment as well. “Natalie.. I believe that you’re far better at this than you give yourself credit for. “

Listening to what Natalie was allergic to, the android tilted her head. “Sulfa, also called sulfonamides, include antibiotics and other types of drugs. Allergies happen most often with antibiotics. Around 3% of humans have some type of reaction to them.” She nodded gently. She did NOT tell Natalie by way of how she knew this. It was one of many factoids she possessed from her former life’s training. Sometimes in infiltration it would be good to know of such an allergy to take someone ‘off the field’ with out killing them. An allergic reaction to Sulfa could… “The most common symptoms include skin rash or hives, itching, breathing problems, and swelling.” Such could remove an obstacle instead of killing and or destroying it. This was a useful tool to have in one’s belt. Should it ever be needed.

The Android looked up concerned. “Shellfish allergies can be much more serious. To what degree are you allergic Natalie?” Shellfish allergies could vary greatly and at their most severe, could kill via skin contact or minimal ingestion. “I shall immediately request emergency Epinephrine hyposprays for the room and to carry with me.”

The android laying before her indeed seemed to care about Natalie’s health. Up to the point of carrying medicine for the other young woman, on the off chance that she, one day, may accidentally injest or come into contact with… a substance that is fairly easy to avoid, if you know to do so.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #21 – December 22, 2018, 05:03:42 PM

Vanya really, truly was fascinating from a technological standpoint. She'd flagged the scans of the primary gyroscope the moment she passed over it, for study later. She would make a second, and even third pass with the micro-porter before she had finished cleansing the android of the particulate matter that had managed to get past the membranes and flesh that lay over the inner workings. In short, Nat didn't want to see Vanya 'kiss any more doors' as the young woman had put it. Once had been bad enough, and Nat was going to be running that dermal regenerator over the girl's cheek when this was all said and done.

She was touched by the Romulan's concern for Natalie's own health. The human had shared the tid bits of information out of a sense of quid pro quo. She herself now knew entirely too much about Vanya's inner workings that only a doctor - or perhaps a mechanic - should. It only seemed fair, after all, and this was the only thing that Nat could think of that approached a comparable level of disclosure. She had not expected to have the common effects of her allergies repeated like a cadet giving a report in a class (though they were cadets so really that should not have surprised her as much as it did). She blinked rapidly and then smiled softly.

"I think the replicator has the pattern stored already. I'm not sure you need to have one on hand in the room since I'm not likely to use rations for a shrimp cocktail. But I appreciate it, Really, I do." Quietly she cupped the androids cheek for a moment, giving a light squeeze,. She was truly, deeply touched by the concern her roommate was showing her. So she left her hand there perhaps longer than was polite, before turning her focus to the ball joint of the left shoulder socket. There was a large build up there and she had to keep the micro-porter in place for some time to shake the derbies free of the internal components.

"Have to say I didn't expect the posting to the cross species dorm to be quite as enlightening as it has been so far," Natalie continued after a moment, keeping her breathing regular and calm and trusting that Vanya seemed to enjoy her awkward rambles. "But i'm glad it has been. I mean, I do not like seeing you spaz out like you did today - thats not good for you and we're going to have to keep you out of Koi ponds in the future," she smiled and then stopped and tilted her head. "Actually um....how did you end up in the pond? You're so graceful - i mean," she stammered off, "Anyone can slip but...yeah....."

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #22 – December 22, 2018, 08:49:07 PM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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Vanya noted the rapid blink of her roommate and her head tilted a bit as she strove to categorize the reaction. Mild disconcern? Or surprise? Humans were still ‘new’ to her, in person. Her training had been extensive of course but there was a great deal of difference between training and application and ‘reading’ emotions was not an innate trait in the android world. It was something that had to be learned.

Thankfully living with Natalie was a crash course. The young woman wore her emotions on her sleeve, and so readily emoted and expressed that it was both refreshing and highly educational for the young Romulan. Now… if only Martians came with subtitles…

Dark green eyes flickered over to the replicator and Natlie would see the long black lashed blink once or twice.“I’m unsure if Starfleet Academy replicators will dispense meds with out doctor approval. I must confess to not readily reviewing that part of the introductory package.” The eyes returned to Nat, still showing concern. “As for having it in the room. I think that it may be prudent. I’m unsure of the exact species, but there’s three cadets down on the second floor that appear to be meter and a half tall Crustaceans, and I’ve heard a Nuvian cadet complaining that they.. molt… excessively. She keeps getting shell fragments under her fingernails.” Vanya looked to Natalie’s fingers. “Of course… they have 12 fingers on each hand to our five, but still. There could be little bits of sapient Crustacean all over the place.”

Vanya then nodded in agreement, for staying out of the Koi pond. “Yes that was most unpleasant for me, and seems to have done nothing good for the Koi either. I tried to feed one the other day and an elderly human ran me off. I imagine he’d have had quite the fit if he saw me fly in there and land among them.”

Then Natalie asked about the event that lead them here. “Oh… that. Well...” She trailed off and if anything looked a bit sheepish… but after a moment her pointed brows furrowed and she thought about it.

“I was moving down the path and looking down to the Koi, wondering what one would feel like.. if one touched it. You know? I like animals and was curious. There was a group of cadets heading my way, chatting and laughing. They started whispering when they neared, but seemed in a good mood so I didn’t think much of it.

One then seemed to.. trip and lurch into the second one, which then lurched into me with sufficient force, hitting me with a shoulder. I was not braced and caught mid step so when the impact occurred, I was forcefully launched, into the pond...” The more she processed it, along side the reaction and then the later reaction of cadets when Natalie was helping her back, the more it seemed something else. The impact had not been accidental. It had been on purpose. Engineered to impact her in the exact fashion it had.

They had meant to throw her in the pond.

Of course this would all be exceedingly clear to Natalie. She most likely would have sussed it out instantly, but it was just now coming to Vanya and the emotions on her buised face were complex and deep. Surprise? Betrayal? Hurt? She clearly didn’t understand why but the conclusion that it was indeed a purposeful assault had come to her and she was upset about it.

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #23 – December 23, 2018, 02:44:53 AM

As disconcerting as it was to discover that there were students in the dorm a few floors down that Natalie might be physically allergic to - and oh my god what about people with pet dander allergies being in proximity to Caitians?? - what was far more troubling was the answer that Vanya gave Natalie pertaining to the Koi Pond Incident, as the brunette Ops cadet had started calling this whole fiasco in her head. The Romulan android was right - what had taken Vanya a while to conclude Natalie pieced together almost instantly. She'd been on the blunt end of a few jokes in her time, and was (for all her social anxiety) more socialized and familiar with the interactions of sentient beings that perhaps Vanya had been. The analogy of a severely home-schooled woman once again seemed to be fitting.

"Those cruel, arrogant little shits," Natalie blurted out, clutching the micro-porter tightly, just above Vanya's throat. "How ....how could they? Utterly uncalled for, unprofessional little - " She cut off, blushing. Nat had realized she'd said everything out loud just now, and bit her lip tight to keep from going on a tirade, while perched on her knees, damn near straddling her roommate. She needed to focus on clearing impurities, not strangling the device to do so with.

Glancing back down, she could see that Vanya had reached the same conclusion. So Nat took another one of those long breaths, and with surprisingly steady hands for just how mad she was, turned the micro-porter back on, and depressed the activation stud, beaming away more particulate matter (pond scum). "We're almost done, I think," she said carefully, "With removing the impurities that snuck in. We are not at all done with what happened to you. I want to say that I can't believe that this happened but I've heard rumors of senior cadets hazing junior cadets. While this could be a case of that...

"I have a nasty feeling it's not," she concluded, as she used her free hand to carefully cup Vanya's face and hold it still. She needed to be careful here too. She tried not to think about how warm the skin felt against her palm. Or the look of pain in her friends eyes - pain, betrayal, confusion. She aught to be furious. And if those idiots thought about all the stereotypes they attribute to a Romulan they'd have never been stupid enough to try something like that!

Re: [2372 Starfleet Academy] Week 1

Reply #24 – December 23, 2018, 03:11:01 AM

[ Cadet Vanya | Starfleet Academy | Freshman Dorm Alpha 2 | Cross Species Accommodation | Fourth Floor ] Attn: @Brutus

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At Nat’s micro outburst, Vanya raised a brow and tilted her head, looking up at her roommate. Her dark green eyes flickering down to the tool being so tightly grasped right above her throat and then back up to the Martian herself. Seeming to answer Natalie’s question of ‘How could they’, Vanya ventured forth.

“I… think it may have been planned.” Why thank you cadet obvious. “After I had been submerged and sat up, the one said.. ‘I thought Romulans were so Noble.. so Refined! I didn't know they were aquatic!!’. At the time I thought it was a rather silly misunderstanding by a person not well acquainted with my people. They have been secretive over the past few centuries, but now that I review the incident and the one that came after… I believe that this was intentional.”

She listened about the hazing and frowned slightly, clearly unsure why someone would do that. “Is it because of my species, Natalie? Do.. I cause such fear in others? Simply walking by a pond to necessitate unprovoked attacks?” And perhaps more sad. “Will it always be this way?”

Once Natalie finished, Vanya sat up, the bruise quite livid across her brow ridge, eyebrow and down one cheek to her jawline. She lifted her hands, rotating them at the wrists, flexing her long fingers and then rotating and pivoting at the elbows. A gentle nod to the woman beside her. “Thank you very much for your help. I shall endeavor to return the favor one day. I should… Bathe.” She looked down at herself and her lips pursed in what could only be described as an extremely feminine look of ‘EW!’. “This is not what I would call a good look, nor does it present me in a favorable light beside my beautiful roommate!”